Education headlines

Here’s a story the Harlandale community might find interesting &#151 a Dallas Morning News storyabout financial troubles in the Lancaster school district, which is south of Dallas. The district’s money problems are so bad the state has intervened by appointing a conservator, who has the power to make decisions for the district.

The story is timely because Harlandale school officials last week told the public during a budget work session that if voters don’t approve a tax referendum in November, the state could take over the district or force consolidation with another school system. However, a state take-over or forced consolidation are last resorts for the Texas Education Agency, a spokeswoman told me this week, and such action is usually triggered when a district drains its savings account. Harlandale officials are projecting a $4.5 million savings balance at the end of 2008-09, if voters don’t approve a tax increase.

Across Texas and in San Antonio, the pressure is on to do a better job of educating students so they are ready for college-level work when they graduate. The efforts are particularly visible in the San Antonio Independent School District, which is launching two new schools geared toward college-prep later this month &#151 the Young Women’s Leadership Academy, an all-girls schools with a focus on science and technology, and an Early College High School, which will give students a chance to graduate with two years of college work under their belts.

With that in mind, here’s a story from the Los Angeles Times about the Los Angeles Unified School District’s effortto offer more college-prep courses to high-schoolers, a decision that came after an East L.A. student appealed to the school board for higher level courses in the district’s poor schools.